Professional speaker, author, and Army vet, Dr. Pamela Gurley, is set to release her new children’s book series, Brown Girl and Brown Boy. This 10-titled, 20 book series will address some of the greatest challenges children are facing today. Part of this series are three special edition books highlighting Black and Brown children with down syndrome, autism (or other social diagnoses), and physical disabilities. With a central focus on representational childhood literacy, the goal of the series is to teach kids social skills, to know racial differences, confidence, self-worth, and body positivity. The first books in the series, releasing June 3, 2021, will be Brown Girl, Be Social and Brown Boy, Be Social. This set teaches children to embrace their social and racial differences, while maintaining self-acceptance, self-confidence, and self-love. This will be followed by the second set in the series, Brown Girl, Break Barriers, and Brown Boy, Break Barriers, which will be released on September 3, 2021.
“Representation is not just about color. It is also about culturally setting a standard of excellence for our children,” says Dr. Gurley. She feels it is important for children to identify with the characters to aid in their mental, emotional, and physical development. Children will also be able to see and connect with representations not often depicted in books.